Former boss Thomas Schaaf, who guided Die Werderaner to numerous titles during his 14-year tenure between 1999 and 2013, remains one of the longest-serving head coaches in Bundesliga history.

The Schaaf years were among Bremen's most successful in the first decade of the new millennium.

History

A staple on both the domestic and continental fronts ever since their foundation in 1899, Werder Bremen's heyday just before and just after the millennium – with a memorable league and cup double in 2004 – seems an eternity ago. They have struggled in recent years and have flirted with relegation on numerous occasions as the Schaaf-era came to a disappointing end.

Peruvian forward Claudio Pizarro made a return to the club for the second time in summer 2015 and, with 14 goals in the 2015/16 campaign, he further cemented his place as the Bundesliga's all-time leading foreign-born goalscorer.